Really down about my appearance....

Maybe girls truly think you're attractive but that simply you're not their 'type.' Maybe if you worked a bit more on yourself, you'll notice more attention. Work out a lot and see how people change their opinion towards you.

As harsh as this may sound, they might just be saying that to be nice. Even if you don't think that you're good looking, you must have a heap of other qualities which make you a decent individual!

Would you be interested in a girl who only cares about looks anyway?

I am turning into my females mates "gay" (although I am not gay) best mate - or in other words, just a friend and thats it

In my experience, it's rare for people who have been good mates for a while to start going out.

The irony is even girls that say they don't care about looks, care about looks.

Everyone cares about looks; that's why it's always worth dressing well etc. before you go out. But most people just care that their partner (or prospective partner!) has made an effort. Decent relationships are normally based primarily on personality and 'compatibility'.

How do you avoid the friends stage?

You don't need to 'avoid the friends stage'. It's really just when you've known someone for months that it becomes hard to start anything. I guess it's all about making it clear that you're interested in someone from the beginning. Whether you meet them when clubbing, at a party, with a group of friends, at a society meeting, while playing sport, etc it doesn't matter - just go and start making conversation with them. It's *really* obvious when someone's interested in you, so make it clear to the other person. Don't wait for them to start flirting with you.

I have been told that I dress well (by both male/female mates) which probably has caused me to conclude I must be really minging; which is why I can't pull. It is depressing.

How do you avoid the friends stage?

Maybe the girls who are friends with you simply want to keep the friendship. I have a few platonic male mates who I'm sure I'd fancy if we weren't friends, but I'd prefer to be friends with them (and vice versa lol).

Why would you prefer to be mates with them if you are single and fancy them?

You probably aren't as bad as you think. Looks may be important to some people but there are so many other factors. People will always look at what they consider to be their weak points under a magnifying glass and blame them on their failure. I know because I've done just that many times.

Personally, I don't go around trying to become best friends with girls who I want to go out with. Being close friends with girls has always lead down the, 'You're like a brother to me' path which has never been a good place to be.